Support OneGreenPlanet

Ooey-Gooey Baked Ziti [Vegan, Gluten-Free]

Ooey-Gooey Baked Ziti [Vegan, Gluten-Free]

17.1K Views2 years ago

Support OneGreenPlanet

Being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high quality content. Please support us!

This vegan baked ziti is creamy, cheesy, and so delicious! It's made of pasta topped with a simple (yet flavorful) sauce, more melted cheese, and crunchy bread crumbs. Make this vegan baked ziti early in the week to heat up for a quick meal or make it for a family dinner! It's sure to be a crowd favorite! Enjoy!

Preparation

Add the crushed and diced tomatoes and stir. Mix in the spices and herbs.

Cover and let cook on low heat for about 15-20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

For the Creamy Tofu Ricotta

Crumble the tofu in a bowl. Add the other ingredients. Mix until fully blended. (You can use a food processor but I prefer to use my hands and play with my food).

To make the tofu ricotta creamier and more decadent, add vegan cream cheese. It’s soooo good, you could just eat it by the spoonful!

For the Baked Ziti

Fill a large pot with water, cover and bring to a boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil, you can make the marinara sauce. When the water comes to a rapid boil, add a good amount of Kosher salt so that the pasta gets seasoned. Add the pasta, stir it around a bit and let cook until it is just shy of al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, make the creamy tofu ricotta. When the pasta is just shy of al dente, meaning it’s a little bit undercooked (remember it will cook further in the oven), drain it, reserving about ½ cup of the starchy cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot you cooked it in.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Add the ricotta to the pasta. Pour in the starchy cooking water and toss well. In a large baking dish, add a ladleful of the marinara sauce to line the bottom of the dish. Transfer the pasta-ricotta mixture to the baking dish and spread it out evenly. Top with a generous amount of the marinara sauce. You might want to reserve some to spoon on top when you serve the dish. Add a layer of the mozzarella shreds.

In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs with the oil. Use your fingers to mix it. The bread crumbs will become moist and crumbly. Sprinkle this mixture over the top of the mozzarella shreds.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 20 minutes until the cheese is melting and the sauce is bubbling. Uncover the dish and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes until the bread crumbs are browned. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes or so. This helps the pasta to set.

Discover more recipes with these ingredients

Nutritional Information

Total Calories: 3907 | Total Carbs: 545 g | Total Fat: 122 g | Total Protein: 167 g | Total Sodium: 4806 mg | Total Sugar: 94 g Note: The information shown is based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

About The Author

When Rhea became vegan, there were no places in her Bronx neighborhood to eat so she had to learn to cook, mostly by watching TV cooking shows, especially Christina Pirello and Rachael Ray. That led to the creation of The "V" Word website which focuses on vegan versions of favorite, familiar foods. Rhea has written several e-cookbooks which are available on her web site. It is Rhea's hope that she can spread the "V" Word to bring more compassion into the world and it is her dream to become the vegan Rachael Ray.